Emory vs Duke vs Vanderbilt

bernie12
Thu, 04 Jul 2013 15:09:33 +0000

Actually I did find it (and I was not aware of the rankings until I came to Emory. I just chose Emory because it seemed like a solid school. I’m from a lower income background, so was often oblivious to all this stuff in HS). They came to my school (I am from Savannah). I wanted to do science and wanted smaller classes (not Tech), I went to Emory. I enjoyed my plight (my freshman year experience set the tone. It was excellent because I got to start off with more advanced or special courses). I think much more could have a similar experience had they chose that for themselves (if they weren’t afraid, that is. Too many people in college fear being challenged. I think it’s important at a place like Emory, because usually more challenging or innovative classes lead to establishment of great student-teacher relationships and also tighter friendships between students who end up collaborating in the classroom. Some of this is important for things like rec. letters and networking and some of this is just good for ones experience as a whole).

F: You took what I said out of context. Top 25-30 encompasses the patterns seen in all schools within that range, including the top 5,10, 15, etc. schools. I said nothing about anyones comfort with being top 20-25. And again, I don’t care. The school must always pursue excellence. You can only hope that such metrics reward it. The excellence pursued should not be framed by the rankings. Once you do that, I feel like you are actually putting a ceiling on your level of success.

K: We all have concerns (I don’t like the cuts, personally. The administration needs to be largely replaced or get its act together, but many schools, including elites have had periods like this…Emory will likely survive and move forward from the episode like they did. It just needs a clear vision and a clear plan to execute it going forward), but to paint some big picture (Emory sliding into the 40s and the fall of Rome) is ridiculous. There are no merits in it. The person is just citing that the rankings fluctuate (they do indeed fluctuate, for most entities, so its not consistent with the decline and “failure to improve” they portray). The arguments lack merit because they lack context and nuance and are thrown together in a completely biased fashion. You would not write a paper like that in a history or political science class for example. You would actually legit entertain other possibilities and perhaps even discuss some of the weaknesses in your own viewpoint or how evidence doesn’t always support support it.

About the architecture: I also really like the Gothic thing going on at places like Princeton and Duke (I don’t know if I think Emory has better architecture than Duke) I think the greenery helps out Emory’s architecture a lot. It is definitely very unique ,especially for the piedmont south and mixes very interestingly with the geography. Many people really like Vandy’s campus, but I just don’t like “bricky” campuses that much (being from the south, I am one of the few who does not find brick campuses like Harvard, Vandy, UGA, Chapel Hill as particularly refreshing, even if it is well-greened. I just find it a bit common place and kind of boring). I also like that Emory kind of like Duke, is surrounded by heavily forested areas (though ours is more like an urban forest). Lullwater and the Wesley Woods area is very nice in my opinion. I just wish Emory would finish many of its construction projects. For example, the landscaping near the new freshman dorms is not optimal and makes it seem as if that area is a completely different zone of campus (I think they will re-landscape it when the last freshman dorm is done, and they will green up and add grass so as to connect it to the rest of campus). I’m sure they’ll do a good job w/chemistry and theology though. Admittedly, what is very interesting about Emory is that it employs predominantly post-modern architectural (even with some older buildings like Callaway) components even though it is no, nor has an engineering school. So while its architecture isn’t as “grand” as the places with more classical architectural themes dominating, its buildings usually have a very clean finish and mix surprisingly well with the greenery. The interiors of older buildings at Emory are also normally kept in better shape than similar buildings at other places, which is very nice when you think about it. However, I’m more about what goes on in those rooms.